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The WOG : employee newsletter of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, 10/2013

W I L D L I F E • O • G R A M
Employee Newsletter of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
October 2013
CONTENTS
Centuries of Service................2
Commission Summary �������������3
Insurance Reminder ................7
Game Bag .............................8
Reelin’ in the Years............... 12
More Photos on Page 5.
By Don P. Brown (IE)
STATE-RECORD BASS BORN HERE
DON P. BROWN
DURANT – Most of the staff at the Durant State Fish
Hatchery spent Sept. 24 preparing for yet another round of
raising and stocking Florida-strain largemouth bass (FLMB).
Each of the past two state record largemouth bass have
been confrimed to contain Florida genes, and the Durant
hatchery takes the lead in producing FLMB fry and finger-lings
for stocking by the Department each year.
The process began with the certification of the fish that will
become the next group of brooding stock. Staff members
collected about 300 bass, took a tissue sample for DNA
testing, inserted electronic passive integrated transponder
(PIT) tags, treated the wound and returned the fish to the
hatchery pond. The DNA testing must prove each fish is a
Florida-strain bass, or the fish will not be used for later FMLB
production.
Last year, a record 2.2 million FLMB bass were stocked
in 44 state lakes, about twice what might be expected for an
average year. Senior biologist Cliff Sager (F) credits im-proved
handling techniques developed by hatchery staff for
the increased production of FMLB in recent years.
The fish processed in September will be grown at the
hatchery until next spring, when it will be time for the next
step in the process: Selecting the brooding stock. In addition
to Sager, Fisheries Division employees who helped in the
FMLB processing operation included Gordon Schomer, Ike
McKay, Matt Mauck, Shane Lewis, David Routledge, Joe
Williams, Luke Taylor, Amie Robison, Bob Wichers and
intern Aaron Bush.
Annual Process to Stock
Florida-strain Fish Begins
Fisheries
Division
employees
David Rout-ledge,
Gordon
Schomer, Luke
Taylor, Shane
Lewis and Cliff
Sager work in
assembly-line
fashion to pro-cess
potential
brood fish for
the Florida-strain
Large-mouth
Bass
program at the
Durant State
Fish Hatch-ery.
Taking
video of the
activities for a
future episode
of “Outdoor
Oklahoma” is
Darrin Hill (IE).

W I L D L I F E • O • G R A M
Employee Newsletter of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
October 2013
CONTENTS
Centuries of Service................2
Commission Summary �������������3
Insurance Reminder ................7
Game Bag .............................8
Reelin’ in the Years............... 12
More Photos on Page 5.
By Don P. Brown (IE)
STATE-RECORD BASS BORN HERE
DON P. BROWN
DURANT – Most of the staff at the Durant State Fish
Hatchery spent Sept. 24 preparing for yet another round of
raising and stocking Florida-strain largemouth bass (FLMB).
Each of the past two state record largemouth bass have
been confrimed to contain Florida genes, and the Durant
hatchery takes the lead in producing FLMB fry and finger-lings
for stocking by the Department each year.
The process began with the certification of the fish that will
become the next group of brooding stock. Staff members
collected about 300 bass, took a tissue sample for DNA
testing, inserted electronic passive integrated transponder
(PIT) tags, treated the wound and returned the fish to the
hatchery pond. The DNA testing must prove each fish is a
Florida-strain bass, or the fish will not be used for later FMLB
production.
Last year, a record 2.2 million FLMB bass were stocked
in 44 state lakes, about twice what might be expected for an
average year. Senior biologist Cliff Sager (F) credits im-proved
handling techniques developed by hatchery staff for
the increased production of FMLB in recent years.
The fish processed in September will be grown at the
hatchery until next spring, when it will be time for the next
step in the process: Selecting the brooding stock. In addition
to Sager, Fisheries Division employees who helped in the
FMLB processing operation included Gordon Schomer, Ike
McKay, Matt Mauck, Shane Lewis, David Routledge, Joe
Williams, Luke Taylor, Amie Robison, Bob Wichers and
intern Aaron Bush.
Annual Process to Stock
Florida-strain Fish Begins
Fisheries
Division
employees
David Rout-ledge,
Gordon
Schomer, Luke
Taylor, Shane
Lewis and Cliff
Sager work in
assembly-line
fashion to pro-cess
potential
brood fish for
the Florida-strain
Large-mouth
Bass
program at the
Durant State
Fish Hatch-ery.
Taking
video of the
activities for a
future episode
of “Outdoor
Oklahoma” is
Darrin Hill (IE).